Electrical connector



March 26, 1963 E. c. CROWTHER 3,083,348

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed July 9, 1959 IN V EN TOR.

Edmond C'Cmwfizer United States Patent 3,083,348 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Edmond C. Crowther, Atlantic Ave. North Hampton, NH.

Filed July 9, 1959, Ser. No. 826,017 2 Claims. (Cl. 339-95) This invention relates to an electrical connector. More specifically, it relates to a connector for the acceptance of a wire termination means.

In the field of electrical terminations, there is a continuing problem of poor conductivity because of the often complex and tortuous paths that the current must follow in a termination in order to pass from one conductor to another conductor. In addition to this there is a continuing problem of loosening of the termination between the two conductors. Prior terminations proposed to overcome these problems have presented additional problems in assembly which are tedious and diflicult for the user to solve.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved electrical termination means which because of its simplicity provides ease in operation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a termination means which is capable of being axially telescoped with the free end of a secondary conductor and which then can be operated to clamp said secondary conductor. Still another object of this invention is to provide 'a terminal means which is capable of telescopically accepting a straight section of the free end of a bare wire and then deforming said wire in a single plane to provide a strain relief means due to the tortuous paths assumed by the clamped wire.

A further object of this invention is to provide a termination means adaptable to be formed in the free end of a primary conductor such as a bus ba-r.

Other objects of this invention will become more apparent when the specification is read in conjunction with the attached drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view in partial section of one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view in partial section of the device shown in FIG. 1 in a final clamped position on a wire.

A primary embodiment of this invention as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. discloses a generally polygonal base means 22 having an upstanding flange 28 positioned along one edge thereof and including aperture means 30 in the form of an end opening slot adjacent a second adjoining edge of the base 22. A second flauge 32 extends upwardly in the same direciton as flange 28 along the said second edge of the base 22 for a considerable extent. The lateral flange 32 is shown in partial section for clarity of illustration of other features of the invention. A depending finger 34 is lanced from material located within the margins of the base 22 and extends downwardly away from the upstanding flange 28. The material bent downwardly from base 22 for finger 34 provides an aperture 35 along the edge of said base and forms a finger anvil which is positioned along the second mentioned edge of body 22 in line with aperture 30. A screw threaded aperture 36 is positioned centrally of-base means 22 and laterally of a line running through aperture 30 and depending finger 34. It should be noted that the base means 22 and the accompanying flanges and deformed elements can be formed from material at the free terminal end of a bus bar or, in the alternative, can be a secondary element adapted to seat atop a conducting element such as a bus bar and fastened thereto by any suitable means known to the art, but not shown herein.

The restricting or clamp means 24 is generally complementary in outline to the base means 22. It is pro- 3,fi83,348 Patented Mar. 26, 1963 'ice vided with a central aperture 33 and a pair of depending finger means 40 and 42 respectively positioned along one edge of said clamp means and generally struck from material within the margins of the clamp means 24. Finger 40 is complemental to finger 34 of the base means and can, if described, be ribbed as indicated at 44- to provide added strength to the finger 40. The second depending finger 42 extends downwardly in the opposite direction from finger 40 for purposes best set forth hereinafter.

A depending flange 46 extends downwardly, as seen in FIG. 1, along the margin of body 24 opposite to the margin having the depending fingers 40' and 42.

A screw threaded operating means 26, shown in phantom in FIG. 1 for purposes of clarity, is telescopically associated with the clamp means 24. The positioning of the various elements on the clamp means 24 is such that the end 48 of clamp means 24 will be in engagement with the inner surface of the flange 28, and the finger 40 will be cooperatively positioned relative to the anvils 34 when the screw member 26 is telescopically assembled with the screw threaded aperture 36 and aperture 38 is in registry with aperture 36.

In the operation of this device the screw 26' is threadedly engaged in the aperture 36 moving clamp 24 downwardly until the lower extremity of end 48 is below a plane running through the upper end of flange 23, thereby preventing relative rotation between the base means 22 and the clamping means 24 during further downwardly directed relative movement between the elements. The free substantially straight end of a conductor 5% shown in phantom in FIG. 1 for purposes of clarity in illustration, is inserted through aperture 3t} along the upper surface of base means 22 until it overlies the hole 35 formed by the lancing of depending finger 34. As the clamp means 24 is moved further downwardly, as seen in the illustration, the depending finger 40 in cooperation with the anvil 34 deforms the wire 50 downwardly at its free end. The depending finger 42 aggressively bites into the wire with its lower edge and compresses same against the upper surface of base means 22. Thus, the wire is maintained in firm flat engagement through a substanital portion of its length along the upper surface of base means 22. Rotation of the clamp 24 relative to the base 22 is prevented by the complementary action of the end surface 48 riding downwardly against the inner surface of flange 28 and the flange 46' riding over the outside edge of base means 22 opposite to the upwardly extending flange 32. The complemental relationship between the clamp means 24 and the base means 22 provides a straight passageway made up by the aperture 3i the base means 22, the screw 26 and the upstanding flange 32 which completely captures the Wire 59 against lateral movement during its deformation between the complementary finger anvil 34 and finger 40 as well as finger 42 and base 22.

Thus, an improved terminal connector has been disclosed which provides for the distortion of a straight section of wire between nonrotatable elements which are movable relative to one another. A tortuous path is described by the wire after being clamped between the elements as well as providing a substantial extent of surface contact between the wire and the'terminal member. The clamping means, preferably, is rotatably assembled with the operating or screw threaded means in such a fashion that the clamping means can be jacked relative to the base means eliminating the necessity for an operator to manually have to lift the clamping means to facilitate insertion of the wire. It should be noted that a threaded stud could be substituted for the threaded aperture 36 and a nut-like element rotatably assembled with the clamping means in place of screw 26 since this would result in the same jacking effect obtained by the devices i any of these embodiments shown above can be independently fabricated and fastened by suitable means such as welding, brazing, riveting, etc. to the conductor carrying the current source or be mounted as an independent element in a terminal board for the acceptance of one or more connectors from an external source.

While many other embodiments of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, it is the intent of the inventor to be limited only by the appended claims.

The invention I claim'is as follows:

1. A three-piece electrical terminal for removably clamping oneend of an initially straight conducting wire including a polygonal substantially flat base means having a screw threaded aperture therein, flange means extending upwardly from one edge of said base means, aperture means for accepting the straight free end portion of said wire through said flange, said aperture positioned adjacent the upper surface and a second adjoining edge of said base means, second flange means extending upwardly along said second edge of said base means, a depending anvil finger deformed from the planar material of said base means along said second edge spaced from said first mentioned flange means providing an adjacent opening in said base means in line with said aperture means, a clamping means having a central aperture, said clamping means being substantially flat and including depending finger means positioned along one edge thereof which is complementary to the depending anvil finger deformed from said base means, a flange depending from a second edge of said clamping means for cooperation with a third edge of said base means, de-

pending screw means rotatably coupled with said apertured clamping means and adapted to threadedly engage said base means whereby relative movement of said clamping means toward said base means will induce said complementary depending finger means to distort the free end of said initially straight wire downwardly into the opening adjacent to said anvil finger and clamp same between said base means and said clamping means while said aperture means, said screw means and said second flange means of said base form a passageway for preventing lateral motion of said wire during its distortion, said clamping means being further adapted to be jacked away from said base means upon retrograde motion of said screw means to permit removal of said wire.

2. A device of the type claimed in claim 1 wherein a second depending finger is deformed from within the material of the clamping means at the opposite end of the same edge as the first mentioned depending finger of said clamping means, said second depending finger in assembled position being adjacent to and in line with said aperture means and having a sharp lower edge adapted to bite into said wire at a point remote from said first mentioned distortion and to force same against said base whereby said wire is aggressively clamped at two discrete points along its length to insure good electrical contact.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 966,243 Ritter Aug. 3, 1910 1,758,978 Rosen May 20, 1930 1,953,709 Gateka Apr. 3, 1934 1,954,587 Frank Apr. 10, 1934 2,693,586 Dorfman et al. Nov. 2, 1954 2,712,123 7 Wibell et al June 28, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 242,434 Switzerland Oct. 1, 1946 

1. A THREE-PIECE ELECTRICAL TERMINAL FOR REMOVABLY CLAMPING ONE END OF AN INITIALLY STRAIGHT CONDUCTING WIRE INCLUDING A POLYGONAL SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT BASE MEANS HAVING A SCREW THREADED APERTURE THEREIN, FLANGE MEANS EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM ONE EDGE OF SAID BASE MEANS, APERTURE MEANS FOR ACCEPTING THE STRAIGHT FREE END PORTION OF SAID WIRE THROUGH SAID FLANGE, SAID APERTURE POSITIONED ADJACENT THE UPPER SURFACE AND A SECOND ADJOINING EDGE OF SAID BASE MEANS, SECOND FLANGE MEANS EXTENDING UPWARDLY ALONG SAID SECOND EDGE OF SAID BASE MEANS, A DEPENDING ANVIL FINGER DEFORMED FROM THE PLANAR MATERIAL OF SAID BASE MEANS ALONG SAID SECOND EDGE SPACED FROM SAID FIRST MENTIONED FLANGE MEANS PROVIDING AN ADJACENT OPENING IN SAID BASE MEANS IN LINE WITH SAID APERTURE MEANS, A CLAMPING MEANS HAVING A CENTRAL APERTURE, SAID CLAMPING MEANS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT AND INCLUDING DEPENDING FINGER MEANS POSITIONED ALONG ONE EDGE THEREOF WHICH IS COMPLEMENTARY TO THE DEPENDING ANVIL FINGER DEFORMED FROM SAID BASE MEANS, A FLANGE DEPENDING FROM A SECOND EDGE OF SAID CLAMPING MEANS FOR COOPERATION WITH A THIRD EDGE OF SAID BASE MEANS, DEPENDING SCREW MEANS ROTATABLY COUPLED WITH SAID APERTURED CLAMPING MEANS AND ADAPTED TO THREADEDLY ENGAGE SAID BASE MEANS WHEREBY RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID CLAMPING MEANS TOWARD SAID BASE MEANS WILL INDUCE SAID COMPLEMENTARY DEPENDING FINGER MEANS TO DISTORT THE FREE END OF SAID INITIALLY STRAIGHT WIRE DOWNWARDLY INTO THE OPENING ADJACENT TO SAID ANVIL FINGER AND CLAMP SAME BETWEEN SAID BASE MEANS AND SAID CLAMPING MEANS WHILE SAID APERTURE MEANS, SAID SCREW MEANS AND SAID SECOND FLANGE MEANS OF SAID BASE FORM A PASSAGEWAY FOR PREVENTING LATERAL MOTION OF SAID WIRE DURING ITS DISTORTION, SAID CLAMPING MEANS BEING FURTHER ADAPTED TO BE JACKED AWAY FROM SAID BASE MEANS UPON RETROGRADE MOTION OF SAID SCREW MEANS TO PERMIT REMOVAL OF SAID WIRE. 